The Dragon's Apprentice Read online

CHAPTER SIX

  FIRE

  Listening at the door was forgotten as they all hurried off to get buckets of water. Within minutes there was a line of people through the castle, passing buckets back and forth from the well.

  “Where’s the fire?” he asked the man next to him.

  “Prince Blaise’s suite,” he replied. “They’ve taken the culprit to the chief clerk’s office.”

  “Fire’s out!” Someone yelled and Toby gratefully sent the next bucket, and the news, back down the line.

  Since the fire was in his master’s room it was going to be his job to clean up the mess so Toby headed up the stairs. He reached the door to the prince’s rooms but two guards blocked his way.

  “The prince does not want anything touched until he’s been in here,” the guard explained and Toby retreated down the stairs.

  He headed for the chief clerk’s office, as that was where his master was sure to go. The door stood open and only two people were inside, Vern, and a young lad who sat with his back to the door.

  “Yes?” Vern queried just as Toby was about to back away from the door and look for his master elsewhere.

  “I was looking for Prince Blaise, Sir,” Toby replied and bobbed his head respectfully.

  “He is on his way, you may wait here for him.” Vern indicated that he should enter and Toby obeyed even though he would rather have waited outside.

  He could see the culprit’s face now and he couldn’t help but suck in his breath in surprise. It was a girl. She looked up and smiled calmly at Toby.

  “I know how to deal with scum who attack the heir to the throne…” Prince Blaise’s voice echoed down the corridor and Toby shot a sympathetic look at the girl. She simply shrugged, not looking the least bit worried. Surely she didn’t think she would get away with burning the prince’s room?

  “Your Highnesses, Your Majesty.” Vern greeted both princes and the queen at the door. “The culprit has admitted being in the royal quarters without permission but denies lighting the fire.”

  “And of course we’ll take his word for it.” Prince Blaise’s voice dripped sarcasm as he turned to face the girl.

  Prince Blaise’s expression went from sarcasm, to shock. Then it changed again and for a brief second Toby was sure Prince Blaise looked afraid before his expression settled on anger.

  “Sanelle!” he exploded, and everyone turned to stare at him instead of the girl. “What are you doing here?”

  “Just visiting,” Sanelle replied calmly. “I missed my brother.”

  Brother? Did this mean she was royalty as well? She didn’t look like the rest of the royal family. She had shoulder length, straight, sandy brown hair, olive skin and her eyes were such a dark purple that they looked black. She looked to be similar in age to himself, a good ten years younger than Prince Blaise, so she was not likely to be a royal.

  “What were you doing in my room?” Prince Blaise demanded. His tone was not as forceful as before and a muscle in his jaw twitched rhythmically. Toby guessed it was a nervous twitch.

  “Waiting for you,” Sanelle replied coolly and pointed at the travel-worn, dirty clothes she wore. “I wasn’t dressed for dinner.”

  Toby thought the first question should be how did she get in.

  “And the fire?” Prince Rory prompted.

  “The guard dropped his lantern,” Sanelle explained.

  “I told you there would be an innocent explanation.” Prince Rory looked pleased but Prince Blaise just scowled.

  “I hope you weren’t hurt, child.” Queen Lisan seemed to have taken an instant liking to her. “Will you be staying long?”

  “Quite some time I hope,” Sanelle said and smiled sweetly at her brother and Prince Blaise’s face went white.

  “Come along then, dear.” Queen Lisan held out her hand. She was smiling broadly as she saw the pale face of her new stepson.

  Prince Blaise remained silent, the nervous twitch still beating time, as the others left the room. Then Toby followed his master back to the burnt rooms.

  There wasn’t as much damage as Toby expected. The large rug that he and Max had carried was ruined and so was one chair but the rest of the room was just wet. Max was hovering by the door.

  “Who did it?” Max asked in a whisper.

  “His sister,” Toby replied after making sure Prince Blaise was far enough away not to hear.

  “Looks like she was searching for something,” Max commented and Toby saw he was right. All the drawers and cupboards were open and their contents were a mess.

  “I don’t think she found it,” Toby said quietly as Prince Blaise emerged out of the bedchamber with a look of relief on his face.

  “Clean up this mess,” Prince Blaise ordered. “And Toby, check on the dragon as well.”

  He left the room, patting his pocket, as if making sure something was still there.

  It took an hour to straighten the rooms and drag the burnt carpet and chair down to the refuse heap. Then Toby collected a blanket to take to Klel.

  There were three guards in the courtyard tonight even though it was snowing hard and freezing cold. All three asked why he was there. At least Klel was finally getting the protection he should have always received.

  “Klel, are you awake?” Toby asked quietly as he entered his shelter and held up his lantern. He almost cried out as he saw there was someone sitting next to him.

  “He’s okay.” The person stood up and he saw it was Sanelle.

  “What are you doing here?” Toby hung the lantern on a hook and hurried over to Klel.

  “I heard him moaning and thought I could help.” Sanelle sat back down against the stone wall, completely at ease.

  Toby lifted the shirt and peered at the wounds in the dim light. They didn’t look as fierce as before and there seemed to be a greasy film over them.

  “Aloe Vera,” Sanelle told him before he could ask. “Mixed with a few herbs that will dull the pain.”

  Yes… Less pain… Sleep now… Klel opened his eyes for a few seconds and then relaxed into a deep sleep.

  “Thank you, Sanelle.” Toby covered Klel with the rug and sat down against one of the wooden poles so that he was facing Sanelle. “How did you get past the guards?”

  “Just a little trick my mother taught me,” she replied with a shrug of her shoulders. “Who did that to Klel?”

  “The king took the scales to remind people how rich his kingdom is.” Toby could not hide the disgust from his voice.

  “You do not like the king?” Sanelle peered at him, the lamp-light deepening the shadows on her face.

  “Not when he hurts Klel,” Toby replied carefully as he didn’t trust her yet.

  “And my brother?” Sanelle leaned closer.

  “I only met him today.” Toby avoided the question.

  “You’ll despise him by this time tomorrow.” Sanelle twirled a small twig between two fingers. “He’s only after Klel.”

  “So he’s not really a prince?” Toby asked hopefully even though it would put him out of a job.

  “Oh he’s a prince for real but he doesn’t want to be King of the West.” She paused to let it sink in. “He wants to be king of all the Kingdoms, and for that he needs a dragon.”

  “So why didn’t he come and claim his birthright sooner?” Toby asked, confused.

  “Mother wouldn’t let him,” Sanelle replied as if Prince Blaise were a toddler who could be easily restrained. “She knew he would cause trouble.”

  “She must be a strong woman.” Toby wondered how she could have stopped him.

  “She was until he imprisoned her in a stone prison that not even she can break free from.” Sanelle let a little bit of anger creep into her voice.

  “He did?” Toby didn’t doubt it but he was so surprised that it just slipped out.

  “And I intend to make him pay,” Sanelle said with a sneer and snapped the twig, making Toby jump.

  As he sat there in the awkward silence that followed she drew a pa
ttern in the air with her finger and muttered a word so quietly that he couldn’t quite catch it. She stood up and started walking to the door of the shelter.

  “Thanks again for helping Klel.” Toby followed her progress and she stopped and stared at him, a shocked look on her face.

  “You still see me?” She came closer to him and glared as if he had done something wrong.

  “I… You’re only a few paces from me.” Toby frowned and wondered if she was playing some sort of joke on him.

  “What colour are your eyes?” Sanelle demanded as she took the lantern down from its hook and held it close to his face.

  “Sort of a purply black.” Toby shied back a little as she leaned to within a few inches of his face. “Why?”

  “And why are you just a page to my brother?” She stood up, ignoring his question, and frowned as if being a page were an insult to him.

  “I’ve been kicked out of almost every other trade in the kingdom,” Toby admitted even though he saw no shame in being a page.

  “Didn’t your mother or father teach you?” Sanelle squatted down on her heels and stared hard at him.

  “Teach me what? I never knew my father, and my mother died when I was born.” Toby had no idea what she was talking about.

  “Ah, that explains it.” Sanelle smiled, the kind of smile when someone knows a secret that you don’t. She took a small, folded knife from her pocket and opened it. Without warning she reached out and ran it across the back of his hand. Toby pulled away and put his other hand over the cut it made. Not because it hurt, for it hadn’t really, more so she couldn’t see how fast it healed.

  “Why did you do that?” Toby pretended it stung.

  “It hurt you?” She seemed confused and then apologetic. “I was so sure. Here let me wrap it with my sash.”

  She put the lantern down, pulled her sash from around her waist and grabbed his hand. She was stronger than he had imagined and he let the other hand slip from on top of it. The cut was almost gone.

  “I knew it!” she exclaimed with a delighted look on her face. She spoke loudly and a guard came closer.

  “Who goes there?” called the guard.

  “Hold my hand.” Sanelle linked her fingers with his without waiting for his permission. “He won’t see us.”

  Toby frowned again, today had been more than he could cope with already and now there was more. Surely the guard would see them. The guard came over and looked in, directly past the two of them.

  “That dumb lad left his lantern,” he muttered to himself and then wandered off again.

  “Why didn’t he see us?” Toby felt a headache coming on as Sanelle grinned at him.

  “Because I’m a sorcerer and I invoked the rune of invisibility,” Sanelle said seriously.

  Toby’s brain refused to accept it but his eyes had seen it happen.

  “Only another sorcerer or a dragon would be able to see us,” Sanelle added.

  “But I saw you. Does that mean I’m…” His sensible mind refused to finish the sentence and he just stared at her.

  “A sorcerer,” she said with a smile.

  “Is Prince Blaise one too?” Toby tried to sort his muddled brain into some sort of order.

  “No, for some reason he never gained the power,” Sanelle said with a sigh of relief.

  “So if you’re more powerful then you can easily get revenge for your mother’s imprisonment,” Toby concluded but she shook her head.

  “He has a talisman stone. We don’t know where he got it but it has the rune of null-magic on it and as long as he has it near him I have no power over him,” Sanelle explained. “I need to get it before I can free my mother.”

  “Was that what you were looking for in his rooms?” Toby asked and she nodded. “He put it in his pocket.”

  Sanelle looked disappointed at the news and Toby wanted to help.

  “I’ll get it for you,” he declared suddenly, making the decision and speaking at the same time. He didn’t believe in magical runes but he wanted to do it in payment for her tending Klel. “If I can’t get it away from him I’ll make sure it’s destroyed.”

  “No!” Sanelle exclaimed, but kept her voice low. “You mustn’t destroy it!”

  “Why not?” Toby asked, he didn’t see what was wrong with the idea.

  “The stone prison that Blaise has put my mother in… is the talisman.” Sanelle spoke so quietly that Toby had to lean closer to hear her.

  “She’s inside the stone talisman?” Toby tried to imagine a person stuck inside a stone that was so small it could fit in a pocket, but he failed completely.

  “I don’t know how he did it, since he has no magic, but she’s inside the talisman and she can’t get out.” Sanelle was staring off into the darkness and Toby wondered what was worse, never knowing your mother or having her trapped against her will and not being able to help.

  “I’ll find a way to get it,” he promised as he picked up the lantern.

  “Be careful, you may heal quickly but not even a sorcerer recovers from a fatal wound,” Sanelle advised as she walked off into the darkness, straight past a guard who did not see her.